Facts & Figures
Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer is a prominent link in the international
chain of flower and plant sales. An average of 19 million
flowers change hands every day. These are supplied by around
7000 growers world-wide, and bought by 1375 wholesalers
and exporters. Within a couple of hours they are exported
to
almost every country in the world. Aalsmeer Flower Auction’s
market share is 44%.
Turnover
Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer’s turnover during 2002 was
over 1.5 billion euro. Cut flowers were responsible for around
1021 million euro while plants yielded 563 million euro.
The greater part of this turnover comes from Dutch products,
supplemented by foreign products. Of all the products traded
via the flower auctions in the Netherlands (over 3.4 billion
euro in 2002), over 44% is auctioned directly through Bloemenveiling
Aalsmeer. Products originating from other auctions are also
processed at Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer. In total, Bloemenveiling
Aalsmeer has a 55% market share in Dutch exports.
Relations in 2002
| Number of buyers |
1375 |
| Number of members |
3325 |
| Number of suppliers |
6734 |
Growers’ cooperative
Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer is a growers’ cooperative.
Around 3300 growers are members of the cooperative society
and thus joint owners of the auction building. As members
they are obliged to sell their entire product via the auction.
Complex surface area in 2002 (x1000m2)
| Built up area |
588 |
| Buildings floor area |
999 |
| Total site area |
1500 |
Top 10 cut flowers 2002 (sales x 1,000,000 pieces)
| 1 Rose |
1740 |
| 2 Tulip |
600 |
| 3 Spray chrysanthemum |
474 |
| 4 Gerbera |
295 |
| 5 Lily |
157 |
| 6 Freesia |
133 |
| 7 Alstroemeria |
131 |
| 8 Carnation |
93 |
| 9 Gypsophila |
82 |
| 10 Iris |
76 |
|
Dutch export horticultural products (x € 1,000,000)
2002
| 1 Germany |
1512 |
| 2 United Kingdom |
729 |
| 3 France |
606 |
| 4 Italy |
281 |
5 Belgium
|
164 |
6 United States of America
|
143 |
| 7 Switzerland |
141 |
| 8 Austria |
127 |
| 9 Denmark |
107 |
| 10 Russia |
87 |
| Other countries |
671 |
| Total |
4568 |
|
The Auction Clock
The lights around the clock’s edge run back from 100
to 1. These lights indicate the price. The clock, therefore,
runs from the highest to the lowest price, which is always
per unit – i.e. per single flower or plant. If the
light indicates the price that a buyer will pay, he very
quickly pushes the button, stopping the clock at the price.
If the number on this buyer’s card appears on the clock
face, it means that he was the first to push the button and,
therefor is the buyer. At that moment, he tells the auctioneer
- using the microphone on his buyer’s bench – how
much of the consignment, the remainder is put up again for
auction. The information about concluded transactions is
immediately entered into the central computer, from which
invoices for buyers, payments for growers and statistics
are processed. For each clock, some 1,500 transactions can
be effected per hour.
Interesting facts
| • |
Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer sells more than 20 million
flowers and plants every day; |
| • |
7000 specialised growers from all over the world offer
their flowers and plants via Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer
every day; |
| • |
The auction has an essential ‘break-bulk’ function:
large lots are sold within a couple of hours and divided
into smaller lots; |
| • |
The customers who are situated at the auction (wholesalers
and exporters) can be on their way to the consumer, anywhere
in the world, within a few hours; |
| • |
With its 999,000 m² of floor space (soon to be
more than 1 million), the auction building is the largest
commercial building in the world, according to the Guinness
Book of Records; |
| • |
Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer turns over EUR 6 million every
day. |
|
